Environmental Assessment of Garibaldi Park
I analyzed the location of the proposed Garibaldi Ski Resort to determine if development of a resort on the property would be possible. Using a DEM, contours, roads, and four distinct protected zones, I overlayed the information on ArcGIS to produce a map.
Contrary to my completed memo, I believe the project should be halted.
The Garibaldi project calls for 124 ski trails, and 23 lifts, plus resorts and commercial developments. The total area that can actually be used at Garibaldi is 2434 hectares. Some of this terrain will be unusable due to relief being too high or low, dense forest cover, and inaccessibility. Compare this to Sun Peaks Resort, in Kamloops, which has 11 lifts, 123 runs, with 1488 hectares of actual skiable terrain. Garibaldi wants twice as many lifts on less than twice Sun Peaks’ area, and some of Garibaldi’s 2434 hectares may prove unusable.
Competition with nearby Grouse Mountain and Whistler Ski Park will be difficult. Ski resorts are becoming a saturated market in the area. Profits will be less than expected.
The presence of so many protect areas is the most worrisome. Ski resorts produce a substantial amount of waste, which will need to be disposed of responsibly. That will require a lot of transport, which will be difficult on the number of roads that exist. New roads will be hard to construct around the large red-listed species protected areas. Furthermore, ski resort guests do not always follow sign directions and dispose of their garbage responsibly. The nearby fragile ecosystems will probably be disturbed constantly.
Garibaldi should be left as it is. There are enough ski resorts in the area already.
